Things That Go 'Clank' in the Night
by KL005
Summary: A thunderstorm causes a blackout in Konoha. Naruto hates storms. What will he do? ShikaNaru.
1. Clank

*Disclaimer: All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing, except for the story idea.*

This story takes place sometime in the future when both Naruto and Shika are 18.

_'Italics within single quotation marks'_ are thoughts.

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* * *

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**Things That Go 'Clank' in the Night  
Chapter 1: Clank **

Grey clouds loomed over the village of Konoha. This wasn't surprising, considering that the monsoon season was in full swing throughout the Country of Fire. The weather forecast had predicted that the upcoming storm would be the worst one so far, and most likely the worst one for the entire season. Everyone was busy bringing in their laundry, shuttering their windows, or otherwise preparing for the storm. Everyone that is, except for one Naruto Uzumaki.

Presently, said ninja was staring moodily out of his window. He **hated** storms. They brought back unpleasant memories from his childhood. Come to think of it, a lot of his fears stemmed from his childhood experiences. Pushing that train of thought aside, he went to double-check his preparations.

'_Windows closed and shuttered…check.'_

'_Emergency ramen rations stocked up…check.'_

'_Brought in the cat…wait a second…I don't have a cat!'_

Shaking his head, a small smile briefly graced his features before it was replaced with a frown as a bolt of lightning arced across the rapidly darkening sky.

* * *

Shikamaru blinked as a raindrop landed on his nose. _'Of all the days I had to choose to move out, I had to choose today. And of all the times I had to think it was too troublesome to check the weather forecast, it had to be today as well!'_ Thankfully, the moving company had moved the rest of his belongings to his new place earlier in the day, and the box which he was carrying contained the last of his possessions that he had to bring over. Speeding up his walking pace, he continued his walk to the apartment complex he was moving into.

By the time he made it into the apartment complex's foyer, he was soaked from head to toe, and the rain was coming down in torrents. _'At least the stuff is mostly dry…now, to find my apartment. What was the unit number again…02-05? 05-02?' _Running a hand through his hair, he shuddered when water dripped off the end of his limp ponytail and down his back. He decided to check out both apartments, starting with the one on the lower floor. After all, it would be troublesome if he went up additional flights of stairs for nothing.

Fortunately for him, the first apartment that he went to turned out to be the right one. Stepping inside, he quickly surveyed his new home. _'Kind of run-down, but that's to be expected, considering the low rental charges. At least the owner assured me that regular maintenance was done. More importantly, there are no parents here to bug me!'_ Setting down the box he was carrying, he saw that the rain was coming into the living room through the open window, and the boxes closest to that window were being liberally doused with rainwater.

"Damn!" the exclamation sounded through the apartment as Shikamaru ran over to the window and slid it shut, locking it for good measure. Turning to examine the damage, he prayed that none of his more valuable scrolls were among the boxes' contents. He let out a breath of relief as he realized that the wet boxes only contained clothes. This was soon followed by a groan of annoyance as he realized that most of his clothes were wet. Grabbing a towel from an opened box nearby, he wrung it out and began to dry himself off as best as he could, while rummaging through the other boxes for a dry change of clothes.

* * *

Rain pounded against the windows of the apartment complex. Inside his brightly-lit flat, Naruto tried to distract himself by watching TV. This strategy worked most of the time, except for the occasional loud thunderclap, which would cause him to flinch inside his self-made nest of blankets on the couch. The storm outside had been raging for hours already, and it probably wouldn't stop anytime soon. Naruto couldn't really estimate the time from his surroundings, seeing as the sky had been dark since afternoon. However, he noticed that the display on his DVD player read 21:45.

'_Wow, it's that late already? Time for a quick snack, then I'll turn in early tonight!'_

With that thought, he hopped off his couch…and crashed onto the floor. "Stupid blankets," he muttered as he untangled his feet. Finally free from the masses of cloth, he made his way to the kitchen, where he began preparing a cup of instant ramen. Just as he was about to pour the hot water into the cup, he was temporarily blinded by a bright flash, followed by a loud crack which left his ears ringing. Yelping in shock, he reflexively closed his eyes and brought his hands up to cover his ears, sending the kettle full of hot water clattering across the floor. When he opened his eyes again, the first thing he noticed was that the house was dark.

_'D…don't tell me t…that that caused a b…blackout!??'_

Ramen was the furthest thing from Naruto's mind as he jumped over the steaming puddle of water and ran to his bedroom. He dived onto his bed, huddling in between the sheets. Thunderstorms, were bearable, so long as the surroundings were brightly lit. But now that the electricity to his house was cut, all his lights were not working. Closing his eyes tight, he tried to think of pleasant things that had nothing to do with storms.

* * *

**CLANK.**

Naruto sat up with a start. Had he imagined that noise?

**CLANK.**

There it was again! That was definitely real.

**CLANK.**

What could it possibly be? Naruto tried not to think about all the stories that the villagers had told him when he was younger. Most of the stories involved vengeful spirits that appeared during dark, stormy nights, and ate blonde fox-boys for supper. He knew that the stories were untrue, and the villagers merely wanted to scare him. But he had been young and impressionable, and those experiences left him with lasting memories, and a healthy fear of the supernatural…not to mention dark, stormy nights like this one.

Poking his head out of the blankets, Naruto noticed that the noise had stopped. His relief was soon replaced by dread as he heard knocking on his front door.

'_Maybe it'll go away if I ignore it,'_ he thought. Unfortunately for him, the knocking grew more insistent. After another few minutes, a voice called, "Is anyone home?"

* * *

Out in the common corridor, Shikamaru was getting even more annoyed. Nothing seemed to go well for him that day. He had been caught in the rain, and most of his clothes were wet. That explained his current attire of too-tight jeans and a t-shirt which had a picture of a smirking, anthromorphized deer on the front. The deer was holding a rose in between its teeth, and a speech bubble containing the words "BE MY DEER?" [1] completed the shirt's design. To top it all off, his pillows and bed-sheets were somehow lost in the moving process. Right now, he was standing at his new neighbour's door, hoping that whoever lived there would be kind enough to lend him some stuff so that he could sleep in comfort for the night. Sure, it was troublesome to ask, but it would be way more troublesome to spend the night tossing and turning in bed. So, he opted for the lesser of two evils. After several minutes of knocking and calling, he was about to give up when the door slowly opened, revealing blonde spikes and a familiar face.

Before Shikamaru could voice his surprise, Naruto grabbed his hand and dragged him into the apartment, slamming the door shut and latching the deadbolt. Seeing Shikamaru's arched brow, Naruto grinned nervously and said, "You never know who will be lurking outside at this hour…no offense to you, of course. Some luck, huh? Of all the buildings on this street, lightning had to strike this one. When did you live here? Nice clothes, by the way. Oh. Did you want anything?" Luckily, Shikamaru was used to Ino's incessant babbling, and was able to understand what Naruto was saying.

"Well," he replied, "I just moved in today, into the flat next door. It's mainly to get away from my parents. As for my clothes, they're the only dry ones I have left. And I was wondering if you could lend me some sheets, and a pillow…and slightly more comfortable sleeping clothes, if it's not too much to ask."

Naruto smiled. "Sure, my closet's in there. Just help yourself to the clothes. I'll grab the sheets." Having a familiar presence around him was comforting. Looking in his linen drawer, he pulled out a free-size bed-sheet. Stepping back into his room, he saw that Shikamaru had exchanged his jeans for a pair of baggy sweatpants, but had kept the deer shirt on. Grabbing one of the spare pillows that lay haphazardly on his bed, Naruto handed it to Shikamaru, along with the sheets.

"Return them any time…just wash them before you send them back. Who knows what'll **stains** they'll get while they're with you?" A mischevious grin appeared on Naruto's face.

"I'll be off then," Shikamaru chose to ignore that last comment as he opened the door and stepped out.

"Sure…wouldn't want you to miss out on your sleep."

"Thanks again, Naruto."

"No problem."

"Well, bye," the words had barely left Naruto's mouth when another resounding crash of thunder caused him to jump violently. Picking up on his friend's reaction, Shikamaru asked, "Hey Naruto, are you all right?" The other teen forced a smile and answered, "I'm fine! What could possibly be wrong!?"

"Well, if you say that…" Shikamaru made to close the door and go back to his flat, but stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Um…actually Shika, you're welcome to stay over if you want. That way, you wouldn't have to wash the sheets…" Naruto trailed off. Recognizing the subtle plea under the statement, Shikamaru smiled, "I hope I'm not imposing, then."

Naruto could have jumped for joy when he realized that he would have company for the night. "Oh no, not at all. Make yourself at home!" the expression of sheer relief that spread across his face was obvious. Shikamaru's lip twitched in amusement as he made his way to the bedroom. "Since you've extended the offer, I'll do just that," he replied, before settling down on the bed. "Hey!" Naruto half-yelled, "Then where will I sleep?" "That's up to you, but there's plenty of room here…" Shikamaru patted the space next to him. "Never mind, I'll sleep on the couch," Naruto replied as he walked out of the bedroom.

"Stupid Shika, stealing my bed," he grumbled under his breath. "I thought that he would have the decency to take the couch. But, I did tell him to make himself at home after all…" Sighing, he flopped down onto the piece of furniture and got as comfortable as he possibly could. Spending the night away from the comfort of his own bed wouldn't be that bad. After all, he'd had far worse sleeping conditions while on missions. He'd be fine so long as no more weird stuff happened. As soon as that thought had finished forming, a sound rang out through the apartment.

**CLANK.**

.

.

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**CLANK.**

All rational thought left Naruto's mind as he ran into his bedroom, and, for the second time that night, dived onto the bed. Only problem was that something – or rather someone – was already occupying it, as evidenced by the muffled "Oof!" that escaped Shikamaru. "What the hell? I was about to drift off, too," Shikamaru frowned as he suppressed a yawn, eyeing the quivering mass currently on top of him. The panicked blonde whispered, "Didn't you hear that?"

"Hear what? I told you, I was almost asleep before you jumped on me."

**CLANK.**

"THAT!!"

Nudging Naruto off of him, Shikamaru sat up. Extending his senses throughout the apartment, he detected no other signs of life, except for the two occupants of the bedroom. This piece of information was supposed to calm Naruto down, but oddly enough, it only served to agitate him even more.

"If humans aren't responsible for making that noise, then that must mean that spirits are at work!" Naruto all but shrieked as he dove under the covers. Rolling his eyes, Shikamaru pulled the blanket back and said, "Look here, Naruto. Spirits don't exist. I've been messing with shadows and dark stuff for practically all of my life, and I've never seen anything of that sort. There's a logical explanation for the noise, like the plumbing system. Old pipes make weird noises, you know. If it makes you feel any better, we'll have someone come and check them tomorrow. Right now, I want to sleep."

It took a couple of minutes for Naruto to absorb the information and examine the argument for flaws. Finding none, he said, "Well, all right. Can I sleep with you tonight?" Seeing the teasing smirk forming on Shikamaru's face, he continued, "That's not what I meant! I wanted to ask if you would mind sharing the bed tonight."

"You don't even have to ask. This is your house, after all." Shikamaru replied, turning to face the wall.

"Oh, right." Naruto lay down on the bed, trying his best to sleep. After a few minutes, Shikamaru felt his shoulder being shaken.

"Hey Shika? Would it be all right with you if…I…ifIhuggedyoutosleep? I'llunderstandifyousayno,butI'dthoughtIwouldsleepbetter… Youknowwhat? ForgetIevensaidanything…" Naruto's babbling had gotten worse. For once, Shikamaru felt grateful that Ino was in his team. Turning back to face his bed-mate, he reached out and pulled Naruto towards him, draping his limbs over the smaller ninja.

"There, is that better?" Feeling a nod against his shoulder, Shikamaru closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of Naruto's hair. He thought that it would be troublesome to ask the next question, but his concern for his friend won out over his reluctance to get involved in potentially bothersome situations. Convincing himself that it was the right thing to do, he spoke, "Why are you so afraid of storms, anyway?"

Naruto's jaw clenched as he looked up at Shikamaru. Seeing that the taller ninja's expression was neutral, he started to tell his story. "When I was a kid, some villagers would make scary noises outside my apartment whenever there was a storm. Then, they would tell me that storm demons, angry spirits and other such entities made those noises, and that the reason they did that was because they wanted to eat me for what I did. As a kid, that would always scare me senseless. Of course, I had no idea what they were talking about at that time, so I always thought it was something horrible that I did, but didn't remember. Now, I know what they're referring to, and I know that it wasn't my fault. [2] Still, it doesn't make the memories any less traumatic…or the storms any easier to bear."

Shikamaru's response to the tale was to tighten his arms around Naruto, and to place a kiss on the top of his head. "I'll be here for you, regardless of the weather." Naruto smiled. He wasn't exactly sure what Shikamaru meant by those words, but he figured that there would be plenty of opportunities to ask him about it in the future. But for now, sleep took top priority. Hearing Shikamaru's soft snores, Naruto was lulled to sleep, now unafraid of the storm outside.

* * *

[1]: This is, of course, a bad pun on "Be my dear?". Not the most grammatically correct phrasing, but I figure most readers will get it. Do let me know if you have better suggestions!

[2]: The horrible deed obviously refers to the Kyuubi attack. Poor Naruto…

Notes: I got tired of seeing female Naruto paired up with Shikamaru, so I decided to write something where both of them are male. Something feels kind of off, though…it's like their relationship isn't as deep as I'd like it to be. I'll probably need another chapter to change that. I doubt this story will progress beyond 2 or 3 chapters, considering I'm reluctant to start any big writing projects now.

As for story details, my plumbing has always been quiet, so I have no idea whether pipes are actually capable of making that noise. Please pardon any inaccuracies and/or inconsistencies, and think of them as artistic license. Let me know if you spot any mistakes!

So, what did you think? Review if you liked it! =)


	2. Crash

*Disclaimer: All characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I don't make money from this.*

This story takes place sometime in the future when both Naruto and Shika are 18.

_'Italics within single quotation marks'_ are thoughts.

* * *

**Things That Go 'Clank' in the Night  
Chapter 2: Crash**

Naruto sighed and suppressed a yawn. Standing in the bathroom while watching some old man mess around with the pipes was not exactly the most interesting thing in the world. Shikamaru had said that the plumber could work unsupervised, but Naruto had insisted on watching anyway, so that he could see exactly what was going on. So far, all that he could see was that the plumber would look at one section of pipe, tap it sharply with his wrench, listen to the resulting noise, mutter to himself, then move on to the next section, where the entire process was repeated, sometimes more than once per section. This had been ongoing for the last hour, and it made no sense whatsoever to the observer.

To make things worse, Shikamaru had gone out earlier to buy some groceries for his own apartment, leaving him to observe the plumber alone. Scratching at the back of his neck, he wondered what exactly the plumber was listening for. Was he hoping to hear a song in the pipes? Or maybe the pipes led to a cave, where someone was screaming for help! Shaking his head to clear those thoughts, he glanced around the bathroom again. Had there always been this much pipe coiled within here? _'I never realized that there was that much pipe! Bet Shika did though…'_ Thinking of his friend, Naruto's mind began to wander back to a few hours ago…

* * *

Earlier that morning…

'_mmm…warm…'_ Naruto thought sleepily. Even though the storm had died down the previous night, a chilly atmosphere lingered around in its wake. As a result, the ambient temperature was lower than usual. He was grateful that there was a source of warmth in his bed, though he couldn't figure out what it was, or whether it was simply a figment of his imagination. Opening an eye, the first thing in his line of sight was a…neck? Allowing his gaze to travel upwards, he saw that the neck was connected to a pineapple-shaped head, eyes still shut in slumber. Now recognizing the heat source that he was currently cuddled up to, Naruto made to move away. What he had neglected to take into account was that Shikamaru's arms were locked around his waist, and the sleeping boy's hold had tightened when Naruto had started moving. The trapped one frowned slightly, but made no further attempt to escape. Come to think of it, it was really comfortable to be lying in bed like this. Closing his eyes again, he relaxed into his living cage. He didn't have training or missions scheduled for that day, so it wouldn't hurt to sleep in for once, right?

He didn't know how much time had passed before he stirred again. This time, it was due to the feeling of fingers threading through his hair, exerting slight pressure on his scalp. Squinting through half-opened eyes, Naruto saw that the hands in his hair were connected to the other occupant of the bed, who was now awake. Noticing that the blonde wasn't sleeping any more, Shikamaru murmured, "G'morning Narutoooooo," the last syllable stretched into a yawn, "sleep well?"

Naruto, who was still in a semi-drowsy state, nodded and hummed contentedly in response. He was vaguely aware that the fingers in his hair had not stopped their ministrations. If anything, the pressure had increased slightly. Correspondingly, so had the little shocks of pleasure that were centred on his head. He luxuriated in the sensations, but soon felt a more pressing problem rising to the forefront of his consciousness. Feeling Naruto's sudden fidgeting, Shikamaru untangled his fingers from the blonde locks and watched bemusedly as the other ninja made a beeline for the bathroom. Hearing the toilet flush, he too got up and stretched, getting ready for the day ahead. As much as he didn't want to leave the warmth and comfort of the bed, he still had some errands to run, one of them being to call in a plumber to look over the pipes in the bathroom.

* * *

Back to the present…

"…-ruto? Naruto!"

Distracted by the memory of the warmth and sensations from that morning, Naruto took a while to notice that Shikamaru had re-entered the bathroom, and was currently calling his name. Blinking comically, he looked around with a slightly confused expression. The plumber had finished his tapping, and was currently packing his equipment up. "So, we're going to go ahead with the plan, then?" the plumber's question was directed at Naruto, as he was the owner of the apartment. Seeing that the latter was clueless, Shikamaru nodded in confirmation before steering Naruto to the living room and showing the plumber out of the apartment.

"Since I'm sure you missed everything from earlier on, let me recap over lunch," Shikamaru sat down on the couch and passed Naruto a container of take-out ramen, before continuing, "your pipes are old and poorly maintained, and that's what's causing the noise. To rectify the problem, Hiko-san[1] recommends that the entire piping system be replaced. To do that, they'll have to hack through some parts of the wall, not to mention cut off your water supply, meaning that your bathroom will be unusable for a few days, and it'll be noisy as hell in the apartment while they're working. Since you don't have a second bathroom in here, I'm suggesting that you move in with me for as long as Hiko-san needs to complete the job. What do you say?"

Pausing in mid-chew, Naruto mulled over what he had just heard. After a few minutes, he had thought of a few potential problems with that plan. Swallowing his mouthful of noodles, he started to ask, "What about the…" "Cost?" Shikamaru finished. "Don't worry. You can claim it from the landlord as maintenance charges."

"If I move in with you while the job is being done, who will watch the plumber as he works?"

"Nobody will, because there's no need to. Hiko-san is trustworthy enough; he's been handling my family's plumbing since before I was born. Just pass him a spare key, and he'll let himself and his staff in and out as necessary."

No matter how hard he thought, Naruto could not find a better alternative than the one suggested to him. There was just one last doubt to clear…"Won't I be imposing on you?"

"Not really…I'll give you a key so that you can come and go as you please. That way, I won't have to wait up for you or do troublesome stuff like that. Besides, think of it as me repaying last night's favour."

Smiling at Shikamaru, Naruto replied, "Oh, don't worry about me being trouble. I'm not scheduled for any missions, so I'll still have regular hours. I'll be a good boy and come home early!" His grin grew wider as he said the last part. Getting off the couch, he went back into his room to gather the basic necessities which he would bring over to his friend's apartment next door.

Shikamaru felt a sudden rush of warmth as he heard those words. He wanted Naruto to move in with him permanently, so that they would be together more. Holding Naruto in his arms last night, as well as earlier this morning, somehow felt _right_. It took him more than a couple of minutes to figure out that he had more than platonic feelings for his hyperactive friend. Caught up in thought, he didn't notice as Naruto bounced back into the living room, holding his backpack. The words that were pouring out of the blonde's mouth, however, did catch his attention.

"Hey Shika! Let's drop this off at your place, then go do something! I don't have training or missions, so we can do whatever we want! We can go visit your parents, or I'm sure Sasuke[2] wouldn't mind having us over for a while…what do you want to do? I don't mind doing anything! Maybe we could…" Before Naruto could continue any further, he felt two fingers clamping his lips shut. Eyebrow twitching, Shikamaru said, slightly irritably, "I already have the misfortune of having a troublesome, talkative blonde as my teammate; I don't need another one as my roommate."

Slapping the hand away from his mouth, Naruto felt hot tears begin to prickle behind his eyelids while his emotions went into overdrive. He couldn't believe Shikamaru had said that! To think that he had been so nice the night before…but then, it was his own fault, wasn't it? If he hadn't talked non-stop, Shikamaru would still want to hang out with him. What was he going to do now? He would have to find somewhere else to stay, or just cancel the plumbing job altogether. But first and foremost, he had to get away from the boy who had hurt his feelings.

Seeing shock, sadness, regret and anger playing across Naruto's features, Shikamaru cursed inwardly. That sounded way more harsh out loud than it did in his head! His eyes widened as he saw Naruto about to bolt for the door. Placing his hand on Naruto's shoulder, he wasn't prepared for the fist that came flying at his face. Barely managing to sidestep and dodge the punch, he reacted instinctively and wrapped his arms around the smaller figure, preventing any further movement.

**"LET ME GO!"** Naruto yelled, thrashing against his captor. Unfortunately for him, Shikamaru had the advantage of a few pounds of muscle, and all the struggling was proving to be fruitless. He considered calling upon his additional reserves of power, but ultimately decided against it. No matter what, Shikamaru was not an enemy, and he could not hurt a fellow ninja from the same village…no matter how much he wanted to at that point. Having expended all of his immediately-available energy, Naruto slumped against the figure holding him up.

When Shikamaru was sure that Naruto wasn't going to fight back any more, he reached up to stroke the blonde hair, speaking softly into it at the same time, "I'm sorry, Naruto. I didn't mean it like that. I wasn't thinking properly when I said it — I'm such an idiot. I'll understand if you want to hit me now, but please forgive me?" Letting his arms drop down to his sides, he was surprised that it was now Naruto who was holding him in an embrace. "No, Shika. It's not entirely your fault. I kind of overreacted too — and this wouldn't have happened if I had kept my mouth shut in the first place. It's just that…that I was worried that you didn't want to be around me any more. Very few people have been this nice to me, you know?"

When Shikamaru didn't respond, he took a deep breath and finished, "Sure, I'll forgive you…provided you forgive me, too." Shikamaru nodded, and Naruto smiled.

"So, what do you feel like doing now?" they asked each other simultaneously. Laughing at their timing, they decided to drop Naruto's bag off next door before heading out for a walk, so as to let Hiko-san and his crew carry out their work uninterrupted when they arrived. Naruto locked the door, making sure to leave a spare key under the doormat, as per Shikamaru's prior arrangement with the plumber.

* * *

As they walked down the street together, Shikamaru brushed his hand against Naruto's, glancing sideways to see how the other would react. It was a childish gesture, usually done by lovesick teenagers. But that wasn't very far off the mark here, was it? More importantly, it was yet another silent apology for hurting the younger teen. Naruto tensed a little upon the initial contact, but was soon brushing his hand against Shikamaru's as well, all the while keeping his eyes trained on the path which they were walking on. The only clue that something was amiss was the adorable blush on his face. Shikamaru took that as a sign that his apology had been accepted, and looked up at the sky contentedly.

Ten minutes later, they found themselves on the outskirts of the village. They hadn't been paying attention to where they were going, and had walked in random directions whenever and wherever the path forked. By sheer coincidence, the path they had taken brought them to a grassy knoll, which happened to be one of Shikamaru's more secluded cloud-watching spots. Climbing to the top of the hill, both of them lay side-by-side under the shade of a large oak tree. Enjoying the serenity, Shikamaru closed his eyes while Naruto gazed up at the sky. "Look, Shika! That's a ramen bowl!" Shikamaru cracked open an eye upon hearing Naruto's hushed voice to his right. Letting his gaze follow the extended finger to the cloud in question, he scrutinized it for a while before replying lazily, "Hmm…looks more like a bun to me." Naruto shrugged his shoulders and brought his hand to rest on the ground once more, now following Shikamaru's lead and closing his eyes.

After lying still for a while, Naruto felt his neck muscles stiffening up due to the lack of elevation. Even on missions, he usually used his jacket as a makeshift pillow, so his neck and head were always somewhat above the rest of his body. This was his first time cloud-watching, and he simply wasn't used to lying totally flat on the ground like he was doing now. Of course, this was routine for Shikamaru, and _he_ had no problem relaxing. Suddenly feeling a foreign object exert slight pressure on his abdomen, Shikamaru's eyes cracked open once again, only to see Naruto's head resting on his midsection. "The ground was getting uncomfortable," was the blonde's only attempt at explanation. Trying to resist the urge to get up and jump for joy, he put his fingers to work again, twining them in the blonde spikes which rested on top of him. Reaching upwards, Naruto retrieved one of Shikamaru's hands from his hair and laced the fingers together with his own.

"Shika?"

"Yes, Naruto?"

"You make a good pillow."

"Oh."

"Is that all you have to say?"

"Well, it's not every day I get used as a sleep-aid, much less get complimented on being a good one."

"It's true, you know."

"I'll take your word for it."

Silence prevailed in the air.

"Were you serious about what you said last night? Regardless of weather?"

A soft curse, followed by, "You weren't supposed to hear that…but yes, I meant every word."

"Oh. All right then."

Silence reigned again, for a brief moment.

Then, came the hesitant query. "So…are we an 'us'?"[3]

"I don't know, Naruto," came the equally-hesitant reply, "but I sure wish we were."

Sitting up, Naruto looked at Shikamaru, whose face was tinged red following the admission. His eyes, however, were full of love, honesty, and hope. Seeing all the emotions within those black depths, Naruto felt his own eyes brimming with tears for the second time that day. But now, it was for a totally different reason from the first time. Blinking rapidly to hold them back, he lay face-down on Shikamaru's shoulder as he hugged the taller teen and held him close. "Naruto, as much as I enjoy having you on top of me like this, you're soaking my shirt," Shikamaru ruffled his hair, then continued, "Come on. Let's get back to the village. It's almost dark, and it looks like another storm might be brewing. Besides, it's time for dinner." Naruto's stomach chose that precise moment to growl, as if it agreed with the statement. Chuckling, both of them stood up, hands still clasped together.

"Before we go, there's something I want to try," Shikamaru blinked in surprise as he heard his friend's — no, boyfriend's — words. Standing on tip-toes, Naruto leaned forward and pressed their lips together in a chaste kiss. Pulling back after a short while, he grinned.

"That felt good."

"That it did," Shikamaru agreed.

"Do we have time for one more?"

"Yes, but just one more. Your poor stomach needs to be fed, after all."

This time, Shikamaru leant down slightly and reestablished the contact. As he moved away, he felt Naruto's hands on the back of his neck, trapping him in the kiss. Moaning slightly, Shikamaru didn't object as his attempt to withdraw was thwarted. After a much longer duration, Naruto finally let go. "You said we had time for 'one more', but you never said how long that 'one more' was supposed to last," he explained cheekily. Reaching out to take one of the other boy's hands in his own, he started walking, "Let's go! We have a poor stomach to feed, right?" Shikamaru smiled as he let himself be dragged along, confident that he would be by Naruto's side to face all weather conditions that the future had in store for them.

**-End?-**

* * *

[1]: You'll get a cookie if you can guess where I got the plumber's name from! *Hint: It's from an anime that is set in the late 19th century.*

[2]: Sasuke doesn't play an important role in this story — his name is used more as a space-filler than anything else. So, you're free to imagine what you like — that he killed Itachi, that he gave up his quest for revenge, whatever floats your boat.

[3] "Are we an 'us'?" is brought to you courtesy of Zits (the comic strip).

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**Before I launch into my author's note proper, I'd just like to use this opportunity to talk about reviews. I won't deny it — I LOVE reviews! Anyone who has posted something on this (or any other similar) website knows the thrill of logging in one day and seeing that someone has bothered to comment on your story. Personally, I get super excited whenever I see that I have a new review. I'll be even happier if it's detailed, like "I like how you've written this part because…", or even "I **_**don't**_** like the way you made this character do this thing because…" I'm fine with either one, so long as you make sense. Even a simple statement, like "Good stuff!" is enough to make my day.**

**Having said that, is it really too difficult for readers to just spend a minute or two to provide some feedback? If you like my writing, tell me so that I can continue producing stuff that you like. If you dislike my writing, tell me as well, so that I can change my stuff into something which you will like, or at least not hate. Either way, reviewing is a win-win situation for both the author and reviewer, provided the comments are sincere and constructive.**

**Let me just clarify something. I'm not one of those authors who won't post the next chapter unless _X_ number of reviews are submitted. To me, that's being counterproductive. In fact, I find that it's kind of sad when authors abandon certain stories due to "lack of reader interest". To me, writing is just a hobby, and the whole reason I'm posting stories is to share them with the community at large. Of course, you can now argue that reviews should not be important to me. And they're not. They're just a nice bonus which help to motivate me and make that next chapter (or next story) get posted online that much sooner. If I don't get any reviews, the next chapter/story may appear only after a few months, whereas it may just take a matter of days if some constructive, motivational reviews are received.**

**Of course, I also understand that not everyone who reads a story will be inclined to review, for whatever reason that they may have. I just don't believe that I'm unlucky enough to only have these sort of people reading my material. But the trend seems to be suggesting that. So far, the first chapter of this story has been up for about 4 days. In that time, it's gotten 124 UNIQUE/DIFFERENT visitors. 5 people have added it to their Story Alert, and 2 people have marked it as a favourite. Yet, there are only 2 reviews! Ironically, the reviewers weren't even the ones who marked it as a favourite. Funny, isn't it?**

**So, I hope I've made my point clear. Please take a minute or two to drop a review for the stories which you have read, and make the writers' day.  
To jtwsnw20 and twilightserius, you have my sincere thanks for your reviews. =)**

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Now, on to the proper Author's Note:

Well, that's chapter 2! It's titled "Crash" for a number of reasons, like Shikamaru inviting Naruto to "crash" over at his place, or their emotions "crashing (clashing?)", and of course, because I thought it was appropriate and witty. I wrote Naruto's character as a bit more of the sensitive type, because Shika is one of the few people he trusts (after chapter 1), and he is one person Naruto can afford to let his guard down around. So, of course, the hurt is proportionally greater when Shika (unknowingly) inflicts it. Naruto is a little uncertain, because this is the first time he's romantically involved with someone. We all know how that feels, right? =P

Anyway, I'm undecided on whether to wrap this story up now or not, because there's still potential room for development. But on the other hand, it can be left just as it is right now. To play safe, I'll mark it as "Complete", and if the inspiration strikes, I may write one more chapter as a sort of epilogue.

Just for the readers' information, university will starting up again soon for me, resulting in me having less time to write. So, updates and/or new stories won't be published as often as any of us would like.

Once again, I do not know how exactly plumbers go about checking water pipes, so please bear with me for any inaccuracy there. As usual, let me know if you spot any mistakes! =)


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